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Avoid the side bet

With a side wager, you bet that first card you play will tie with that of the dealer. The 10:1 payout for your bet seems lucrative.

However, consider that the casino edge here exceeds 18.5%. While winning is possible even under such unlikely circumstances, it is too big of a risk to take so - forget it.

Casino War Basic strategy

If you want to play and win at Casino War, start by deciding if you should surrender your bet or continue until you reach a tie. Logically, not quitting remains the best option since if you do so, you lose half of your wager to the house. If you surrender when there is a tie, the house has a 3.7% edge.

When you go to war, this edge reduces tremendously to a meagre 2.8%. This means that if you hang on, you have a 50-50 chance to win even though you must have another wager equivalent to your first bet to continue. Strategy: do not surrender.

Avoid betting on a tie

Because the game requires six decks that give the player and the dealer equal chances to win a game, from a mathematical standpoint they both have 46.3% chances to win. When the game goes on after a tie, a loss translates to losing both the initial bet as well as the bet you placed to go to war. Losing half your bet on surrender is not as bad as losing everything, but losing is losing.

If you win, you get a 10:1 payout. However, juicy as the prospects may seem, in an ante bet there are 13 possible card values that the dealer may get and only one of them can bring you victory in a tie bet. The 10:1 payout is not even sufficient to cover 12 loses in the tie bet. With the house having an 18.65% edge, you have a slim chance of winning a tie bet. Strategy: Know the house has a higher edge with a tie.

Look out for the Aces

The Ace is the highest denomination card in Casino War. The casino war strategy here is to consider the intervals at which the dealer is laying out aces. If you have not seen an ace in a while, it will show up soon, and once you get it, you are at a win or a tie.

You can never tell with certainty when it will appear. The knowledge that it soon will, raises your edge at the table. Strategy: Watch the cards on the layout.

Place small wagers

Casino war always puts the house at an advantage. Often it is a question of cutting back on your losses, but lose you will. Knowing this, as you ride on the adrenaline rush of waiting for the Ace, remember with each successive bet you place double you initial bet.

Even if you win, you only win what you bet. Get into the game knowing that you will not leave with big bucks, just a big dent in your wallet. Strategy: play for fun not for money.

Know when to walk away

Knowing this is a losing game, decide at which point you will throw in the towel. Set a time when you will cash in your chips - while you still have money in your pockets. When you get to the predetermined walk-away time, walk away regardless if you are in the black or in the red. Also, play moderately; do not gamble with money that you cannot afford to lose. Strategy: know when to walk away.

Do not even think about cheating

Card marking is one way that a cheater uses to attempt to hoodwink the dealer. Unfortunately, the few rules to this simple game make it hard to cheat successfully. If you are not doing so well, the best casino war strategy then is to know when to bail out of the sinking ship.

Disclaimer: Gambling is a game of chance and there's no sure-fire formula that guarantee winnings. You can improve your winning chances by using the right in-game strategies but there is no way to predict when a machine or a Casino game is going to pay. Also, this page contains affiliate links. If you click through and play, we might earn a commission. That’s what allow us to keep CasinoSmash free and bring you the best online Casino bonuses!